Bone fractures within the hip joint can cause debilitating and life-threatening conditions. Statistics show that 50% of people over 50 years of age who suffer a fracture in a hip joint bone die within the first year. One area of the hip that often fractures is the femoral neck. The femoral neck is the portion of the femur which integrates the body of the femur extending from the knee joint, to the femoral head, which fits within the socket of the hip joint (Acetabulum).
The femoral neck is especially prone to fractures in persons suffering from osteoporosis, where bone density is reduced. Further conditions, such as, but not limited to, diseased trabeculae in the Ward's triangle region of the femoral neck may also increase the risk of femoral neck fractures. Common approaches to reducing femoral neck fractures include augmenting the strength of the femoral neck by increasing bone density.
One way bone density is increased in the femoral neck is through the use of pharmaceuticals. However, relatively minimal increases in femoral neck bone density have been attributed to pharmaceutical treatments. For example, one study shows an increase in femoral neck bone mass density of only about six percent due to pharmaceutical use. See Uri A. Liberman, M.D., Ph.D., et al., Effect of Oral Alendronate on Bone Mineral Density and the Incidence of Fractures in Postmenopausal Osteoporosis, The New England Journal of Medicine, Nov. 30, 1995. This increase is at the upper end of bone mass density increases, as other studies show significantly less increase in femoral neck bone mass density due to pharmaceutical use. Additionally, the use of pharmaceuticals can have serious side effects such as chest pain, difficult or painful swallowing, hot flashes, joint pain, blood clots, and ulcers in the stomach or esophagus.
General suppression of hip fractures through the use of medical devices has also been mentioned in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,261,720 ('720) describes a balloon embodiment adapted to support the upper femoral area. However, the balloon embodiment described in the '720 patent does not provide adequate support and reinforcement for the femoral neck.